Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
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students choosing to specialize in IP law, as the area of law is becoming in- creasingly important and knowledge- intensive in today's digital world. Reif believes specializing in an area of the law can benefi t a larger fi rm because there is more room for specialization. Th ere is also the fi nancial backing to support a lawyer with expertise in a particular fi eld. "I think graduate students repre- sent people with superior academic ini- tiative, which in turn, relates to the way they research and solve problems," she says. "If you want to teach, [an LLM] is a good place to start, but in practice, there are defi nitely benefi ts too, especially in larger fi rms." Eric Adams is a 2009 UBC LLM grad- uate practising insurance law with Dut- ton Brock LLP in Toronto. He says his LLM degree is especially helpful in his work. Adams' thesis covered the theories of causation law, which in simple terms describes how insurance policies defi ne accidents, and the causes in between. He thinks his master's has helped him de- velop his specialization because his area of the law situates around policy argu- ments, which he thinks he developed in his theoretical LLM courses. "I think the value of an LLM is completely dependent on the area of law you choose to pursue. Th ose streams that require more under- standing of how to analyze policies, like insurance and coverage law, fall into that category because they are fact-driven, and very theoretical," he says. Th at being said, particular areas of the law are becoming progressively more interesting to students, especially as graduate programs continue to grow in popularity. Lessard says more students at UVic are focusing their research on en- vironmental and aboriginal law. It makes sense considering the school is close to a number of aboriginal communities throughout B.C. At UBC, Harris has ob- served a similar trend with an increase in the popularity of such areas. On the other hand, he thinks interest in IP and copyright law will grow as the digital age continues to evolve. Th e increased interest has led the Uni- versity of Windsor to introduce a gradu- ate program. On Dec. 9, 2009, the faculty council approved a thesis-focused LLM program to start in 2011-12. Th e law school will have to wait until the univer- sity's senate gives fi nal approval to the program to start designing it. "We are ready to move to the next level of legal academics," says Chris Waters, Windsor law's associate dean. "Our faculty have a lot to off er, and we look forward to get- ting approval to go ahead with design- ing the program." An increase in admissions last year shows how important LLM programs can be. More lawyers went back to school last year, possibly because of a slower economy, less hiring, and even some job losses. However, the benefi t is dependent on your aspirations and goals as a legal professional. An LLM could help you land a job in academia, or a career with a large fi rm practising in your chosen area of the law. You could do both. Either way, having an LLM will never disadvantage your legal career. Besides, what's wrong with adding a few letters to your credentials? n Some of us were just born to litigate. If you want to attend trials, appeals, motions, and arbitrations make sure you apply to Lenczner Slaght. We are Toronto's premier litigation firm. Do your due diligence on our website. SEE YOU IN COURT litigate.com Untitled-1 1 C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS SPRING 2010 19 2/26/10 9:26:42 AM